Cutting BOSS off Model 70?

I wouldn't be afraid to cut the BOSS off, my hunting buddy did and it didn't hurt his accuracy.

Taken from another forum on the same topic.



Originally posted by Snellstrom:
in my particular rifle this combo works well, Mine had a BOSS on it so we shortened it and re crowned it barrel length is 21.5".Picture below with groups and load.
Click to expand...
 
boss

Bart I am in no way saying that. Simply put the boss works and it is easier to me to match the boss barrel to the load and bullet I choose that over spending money and time testing multiple loads to get the same results.I do have other guns than a 7 mm & 300 boss. They shoot good but if I want dime size I have to experiment with multiple loads. Some people donot have the luxury of hand loading multiple loads to test. Here is a thought if we could load the petrfect powder charge and seat the bullet perfectly length ,crimp and alignment to match a particular chamber with a precisely matched weight of cartridge on every bullet and match the speed and length to the perfectly built barrel so it exits perfectly each shot we would not have dime or nickel covered groups. Without human error and wind and heat we would have one hole in the target. All we can do is get closer on as many variables as we can to make as close to perfect as we can.
 
Last edited:
boss

I apologize if its not popular to some but the boss works. Between myself & 3 friends we have 7 boss system guns some browning some winchester. We all have seen positive proof that it improves long shot groups with the case of simply adjusting the barrel to fit the ammo. I also have other rifles I use that are not boss. It depends on what the demand is. If its elk at 400-500 yards I see advantages in the boss. If it is 100 yard east Texas whitetail a 30-30 is good enough. If its 200-300 south Texas whitetail I would' not take for my 25-06. It all comes down to what you want the gun to do and how you choose to accomplish it. There are more than one way to overcome most all obstacles and plenty of debates about all options.
 
Last edited:
I didn't say the BOSS doesn't work. It does not and cannot work as Browning explains. They must think the average shooter won't understand if they just say it changes the angle the bullet leaves at by changing the resonant frequency the barrel whips at.

The principle behind it is that weight on the muzzle tunes the barreled action to a resonant frequency that lets a given load's bullet exit while the muzzle axis is on the upswing. 90% of the barrel's whip axis is in the vertical plane as its recoil axis is above where the butt plate is positioned on ones shoulder. Faster bullets leave sooner and they tend to strike the target at the same place as slower ones because the greater drop of the slower one compensates for the lesser drop of the faster ones. The Brits proved this "positive compensation" thing over a hundred years ago with their SMLE's shooting cordite loaded .303 ammo with large muzzle velocity spreads but very accurate an long range. If bullets leave on the muzzle axis down swing; the opposite happens and groups open up drastically in the vertical axis.

The BOSS may need to be retuned for each lot of a given load as the muzzle velocity and barrel time will be a bit different.

Smallbore rifle shooters have been using weights on the barrel muzzles for years to do the same thing. Some rimfire match ammo companies list ammo by the muzzle velocity it gets in their test barrels and consumers use the same ammo with the same company velocity on it and it typically does just fine.

It's been proved that a given cartridge will shoot sub dime-size groups at short range with different lots of bullets, primers, powder and charge weights. Sierra Bullets doesn't work up loads for each lot of components used when testing their bullets for accuracy. Their best match bullets shoot 1/4 MOA or better in their 200 yard indoor range.
 
I never much liked the look of the BOSS , but I don't think I'd cut it off, since it shoots so well right now. Maybe you just need a new and lighter rifle.
 
boss

I agree I am not a big fan of the looks nor the muzzle break noise. I use the CR cover,I would rather take the shoulder punishment than hear the noise. I do keep the Boss guns because for long range it is another tool to make a better shot. Bart it stands to reason what you are saying is true because any movement to extend or shorten the boss will change the harmonic frequency of the barrel. this will allow the ability to match the barrel to all the dynamics involved with any particular load. I am not really concerned with how detailed browning explained it, simply that it works and it is just one extra tool to take error out just as is hand loading practices, barrel crowning and floating a barrel, ect. I do know at this time there are certain government agency snipers that are using the boss system and possibly other similar systems to improve or perfect a rifles grouping. Like I said earlier it depends on the person, what they like, and what their demands are for the gun.
 
Since its a Keep-Sake father to son rifle. I see no reason to remove its Boss, cut, or whatever to a rifle such as yours. Doing so would bring its Collection and Resale value down to a disappointing low amount if its Boss is removed or machine its barrel so its Boss can no longer be mountable.
Consider buying a different rifle for that purpose. Marlin X7 or a Savage Axis no harm done if you choose to clip their barrels to save weight as far as I'm concerned. Honestly I can't say the same for a Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless.
Some would advise >do what you desire. I'm advising you this day >not too. But it is your rifle and it is your decision that carries weight concerning this rifle left in original condition or not.
 
My thoughts....

If the rifle shoots, don't mess with it. Neutering the BOSS is guaranteed to change things. It may be for the better, but it'll probably be for the worse.

As for long, heavy rifles...
After a few HORRIBLE experiences carrying heavy rifles on Elk or Antelope hunts, I have been gravitating toward the "light and nimble" side of things.
I am perfectly capable of carrying a 13 lb rifle all day long, for 2 weeks straight, if I have to. But, that doesn't mean I WANT to.

My .270 is a beast. It tips the scales at over 10 lbs ... with just a scope and sling. I love the rifle, but I hate carrying it - especially in the nasty terrain where I hunt Elk. If I'm Antelope hunting, I like to set up in the sage brush and sit while the animals come to me. That means adding a bipod, and pushing the rifle's weight to nearly 13 lbs, loaded. Neither of those weights is appealing. And the length is an issue on Elk hunts. (Weight is a separate issue, when length alone is a serious hindrance.)

So, what did I do to remedy the situation? I bought some other rifles. For starters, a Marlin X7. At 7 lbs 3 oz, scoped, I can carry that '06 all day long, and it doesn't bother me. The barrel length is a compromise of utility and performance. There's also a .444 Marlin Handi-Rifle. The Handi's short overall length and light weight are fantastic for Elk hunting, but it still has a good barrel length (22").

Right now, I have a project rifle waiting for the gunsmith to toss the barrel in the lathe. (He's doing the barrel work. I'm doing everything else.) It started life as a .30-30 Marlin 336. When I'm done with it, it'll be a .444 Marlin 336, with a 19" barrel. Short, reasonably light (~7.5 lbs, or less, loaded), and in a cartridge I love. But, the barrel length won't compromise the cartridge. If anything, it's an even bigger bonus, because it will be a near-perfect clone of my other .30-30 Marlin 336 ... giving me a lighter-recoiling and cheaper to shoot 'clone' for practice.


I still have all of my heavy, long, or heavy and long rifles. They just don't come along when I anticipate their weight or length being an issue.
 
Before I would cut a barrel, I'd run a lead slug through from the breech to the muzzle. If there were a tight area near the muzzle (before the Boss), it should be cut there.

NEVER cut a barrel at a location where the lead slug is a loose fit.
 
Frankenmauser's move to a lighter rifle is exactly what I did when the Sako just got heavier (or I got older). I went with a stainless Tikka in 260 Remington and I am very happy with it. Shoots great and is pretty light.

And, I should mention that some years back my Dan did the same thing I did and at about the same age. He got a Ruger Ultralight in 270. Said it was the best decision he ever made on rifles.

Think about that stainless Tikka. Action is smooth as glass.
 
Picher says NEVER cut a barrel at a location where the lead slug is a loose fit.

Why did all the Garand barrels I wore out with the last half inch or so of the rifling at the muzzle was lapped larger than original diameters by steel cleaning rods shoot just as accurate as it did when new some 3000 rounds earlier? No worse than about 4 inches at 600 yards with bullets free of bore contact that last half inch; no copper wash whatsoever. It stopped half an inch back from the muzzle crown. They measured about a thousandth larger at that point than when new.
 
This is a very old, but not quite ancient thread. But I was looking over my BOSS equipped Mod 70 SS in 338 Win Mag recently. I had thought about cutting off the end of the barrel years ago. Why ? It shoots very well. Naw, that wasn't it. The only reason was because of its looks.

Now, many years later, I don't care. I think it looks fine as it is and I could really care less anyway. Beauty is, as beauty does.

Some of my favorite guns look rough, but get the job done.




P.S. - - - and if you don't like the thread because its too old, don't read it & don't reply to it. (You can see the dates of the last reply as well as I can.) Maybe it doesn't offer anything new under the sun on this topic . . . but what threads do make some new discovery ? Very few, I would guess. Most has been discussed before . . . somewhere. :)
And besides, this is a post about what is 'beauty'. So its actually on 'philosophy' . ;)
 
If I want a short,light 7mm it would be a 7mm08 or a 7x57.Those cartridges will hold about all the powder you can efficiently burn in a shorter barrel.

7mm Rem is a big case,small bore ,moderately overbore cartridge.In order to take advantage of the big case,you need to use slow powder.A 26 in bbl makes sense on a 7 mm Rem,and IMO,a 24 is maybe OK,but questionable.

Up front,I have never used the Boss System.I understand it is a harmonic fine tuning device.Not everyone can/will put in the effort and understand what they are doing well enough to tune it to dime size groups.Your Dad got lucky,or knew what he was doing.

Setting it back up will take some round count.

Realize a 7mm Magnum has a fairly short peak accuracy life...wild guess,not like I know,maybe 1200 or 1500 rounds?Maybe 2000?

I'd let it be what it is as long as it shoots that well.
 
It's funny, because someone posts about a rifle that they like that weighs 10 pounds and there's always someone saying that it's too heavy, they'd never carry such a thing, a rifle shouldn't be over X weight for hunting or it's too heavy, they'd never put that scope on it because it's too heavy... and then someone posts about maybe making a rifle lighter because it's too heavy and the answers are "Man up! That's not heavy!"

In other words, answer the question as posed with reasonable advice and lay off the "Suck it up and lift some weights" nonsense.
Click to expand...

Amen to that, ha ha.

It's a tough call.

Lessee...

1. Do what you suggest (cut n crown)
2. Take bbl off; sell; put new bbl on
3. Sell whole rifle; get whole new rifle to replace

I like #3, because when selling that one, it will hold value as is, and thus go a long way toward new one. But there's sentimentality issue involved here.

I like option 2 also, but would it be the same rifle? Would that be anti-sentimental to you?

Difficult decision. Do what you want. I wouldn't worry much about accuracy - chances are you can still get excellent accuracy with tuned handload without the BOSS. I definitely see the appeal of shorter / lighter / better balancing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top